Jasper Sands
by Megan1289
Summary: Micheal and Kitt are sent on a mission to deal with a possible terrorist group. However, the town of Jasper, Nevada is not as sleepy as it seems. . .
1. Chapter 1

"So, what's in the file, Devon?"

Devon straightened his suit jacket before picking up the file off the desk. He gave Micheal Knight a knowing look. This was all just formalities at this point. "This, Micheal, is your next mission."

Micheal fidgeted with his wrist communicator, flipping it on and allowing Kitt to listen in as Devon explained.

"In a small corner of Nevada, a town called Jasper has been having a problem with a potential terrorist organization called MECH. The National Guard hasn't been able to make much progress with the case, so we've been contacted to go investigate them, find their base, and arrest them."

"Tech terrorists, huh? What tech do they have?" Micheal asked.

"We don't know." Devon replied. "However, you've been instructed to meet with a possible informant to learn more. However, we have haven't been able to confirm their validity. The meeting time is in two days. I suggest you use that time to investigate his credentials further."

"Two days?" Micheal laughed. "Kitt and I could get down there in a few hours. And in a small town like that, everyone knows everyone. This guy should be easy to snoop out."

"That's why you'll be surveying the town as well. There has been suspicious activity reported all over the area since a few months ago."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Self driving cars with tinted windows. I suggest you and Kitt be subtle while you're there, hmm?"

"Alright, alright, we will. I promise."

* * *

Micheal had decided to leave the next morning, allowing him to sleep in his own bed, and allowing Bonnie to fully check over all of Kitt's specs before they left. The drive to their destination had been completely and utterly uneventful. At least the scenery was nice- large rock monuments dotted the red Nevada desert. However, the dust left Kitt mildly agitated, and the roads were so mind-numbingly flat and uniform that Micheal let Kitt take the wheel for fear of falling asleep.

As they rolled into the dreary town of Jasper, Micheal began to regret taking this mission. The town couldn't have had more than 500 people, tops. There was one school, two gas stations, a beat-up motel, and that was it. He began to wonder why such a lonely little town even existed at all, until Kitt checked his historical databases and found that a large missile silo had been built not far off from the town. However, the buildings did not look military, and there were few American flags in sight, so Micheal deduced that the missile silo wasn't currently being used.

"Hmm, why on earth would tech terrorists hole up here?" Micheal asked to his companion.

"I don't know, Micheal. Perhaps the old missile silo has something to do with it?" Kitt replied.

"Yeah, if they wanted sixties technology, sure." He remarked, before taking back control from Kitt.

They entered the first few streets of town. At first, Micheal simply rolled around the neighborhoods, taking in the town up and down. He then found something more pertinent to his interests- a burger joint.

"Look at that. 'Knockout burgers'. Say, why don't we give that a try. It's nearly noon, anyway." Micheal pulled up to the drivethrough.

"I don't know what you mean by 'we', Micheal, but you may certainly go ahead." Kitt replied with a hint of humor. Micheal laughed to the center console before Kitt automatically rolled down the window for the drivethrough speaker.

"Welcome to Knockout Burgers, where every burger's a knockout," spoke a tired male voice from the speaker. "What can I get for you today?"

"I think I'll have a burger." Micheal paused, before chuckling at his own joke. "I'm kidding. I'll have a double cheeseburger with no mustard."

The voice on the other end of the speaker gave a weary laugh, too. Micheal pulled forward in the drivethrough.

The kid that opened the drivethrough window couldn't have been more than sixteen. The black-haired teen didn't look sleep-deprived, but he looked tired in the way that small-town kids only could. However, when he looked up and down the black trans am, his eyes lit up.

"Wow, what a car!" He exclaimed. "Is that a Pontiac Firebird?"

"Hey, you know your cars." Micheal smiled. "It is, with a few modifications."

Micheal could practically hear Kitt's incredulous voice saying _only a few, Micheal? I'm state of the art! _but unfortunately the AI needed to be silent.

"Yeah, that dashboard looks like something out of a spaceship." The kid remarked. "Oh, anyways, here's your burger."

The teen handed Micheal a small unlabeled brown bag. However, the smell coming from the bag was amazing. Seeing as there was no one behind him in line, Micheal took the burger out of the bag and took a bite.

"Mmm. Mmm. You sure do know how to make burgers, kid." Micheal replied with his mouth full.

"Well, I'm not necessarily the one making them, but, uh, thanks?" The teen replied.

"I'm serious. Best damn burger I've had in a while. Say, what's your name?" Micheal asked.

"I'm Jack. Jack Darby." He scratched the back of his head. "Really, the burger can't be that special."

"Well, Jack, I'm Micheal. Maybe I'll give you a ride sometime. I'm going to be in town for a while. How does that sound?" Micheal took another bite of his burger.

"That, well, uh, that sounds amazing!" Jack looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Sure! I mean, my shift ends right about now, actually- actually, nevermind, I'd better not. I have someplace to go after work today."

"Very well. Some other time." Micheal shrugged. "See you around, kid."

With that Micheal pulled away from the drivethrough and into the nearby parking to finish his sandwich.

"Dashboard like a spaceship?" Kitt mused as Micheal ate. "Is that a compliment?"

"Probably a better comparison than 'Darth Vader's bathroom', bud." Micheal remembered the first thing that he himself had said upon seeing Kitt's dash.

Kitt glowered. "Yes, much better."

Micheal laughed. "Oh, Kitt, you're a riot."

They pulled out of the burger place parking lot, but not before a sleek purple street bike also pulled in through the drive through. On it rode a woman in full leather. Micheal whistled quietly to himself.

"Yes, Micheal, her outfit is very form fitting, but wouldn't the black leather be rather hot in this desert sun?" Kitt partially teased, partially inquired.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Micheal replied.

They spent the rest of the evening scoping out the rest of the town and driving some of the back roads. As the last traces of sunset faded from the horizon, Micheal drove to the cheap-looking, run-down motel. The front sign indicating vacancy had long since fallen off.

"Kitt, stay here, and could you scan this building for bed bugs, by any chance?" Micheal said as he opened the door.

"I am not designed to analyze microbiology, but I shall try for your sake." Kitt replied with full earnest.

"Thanks bud, you're the best."

Micheal closed Kitt's door behind him and entered the motel. Surprisingly, despite how tacky the lobby was, it was clean. Considering the amount of business this place would get, cleaning might be the only thing that most of the staff did, Micheal remarked. The lady at the front desk at first didn't notice him, but as he approached, she perked up and greeted him with a smile. He did his usual small talk and got the room key fast. (The only possible thing of note about the lobby were the meager selection of flyers. Micheal had at first made a joke about the transfer student flyer, but the lady had quickly rebuked his jab, stating that she was hosting a girl from Japan right now.)

As soon as Micheal entered his hotel room, he commed Kitt. "Alright, find any bedbugs?"

"No, Micheal, but you may want to avoid looking under the bed." Kitt replied.

Micheal smiled. "Alright, thanks. Goodnight, Kitt."

"Goodnight, Micheal."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Micheal took his sweet time getting out of bed. The coffee tasted like dirt (sad), but the breakfast was decent. The meeting with the supposed FLAG informant on the tech terrorist would happen tonight. Micheal almost despaired at having to wait such a long time.

"So, where should we begin to investigate our informant?" Kitt asked as soon as Micheal got in.

"We don't need to worry about that." Micheal waved off. "Let's stick around here instead. Devon mentioned there were plenty of strange happenings around town. That sounds much more interesting."

"I suppose could sit in surveillance mode and try and catch some of these rumored self-driving cars." Kitt suggested.

"Let's play videogames in a gas station parking lot. Sure, sounds great."

The gas station had clearly seen better days, but the parking lot had at least a few other cars in it. Micheal pulled in to a spot. Kitt immediately entered surveillance mode. Micheal fiddled with some of Kitt's dashboard screens, and sure enough, a game of Tetris showed up.

A few hours passed. Micheal almost beat his highscore, before Kitt interrupted.

"Micheal, I've picked up something on the scanners."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I'm detecting very strange readings from a green off-road vehicle passing by us on the main avenue. I can't detect a driver."

Micheal looked out the side window to see a large, army green vehicle roll by. It didn't look military though, which felt odd.

"Got a make and model on that thing?" Micheal asked.

"I have a few guesses but no complete matches. It appears to be custom." Kitt remarked.

"So what are these other 'strange readings', then?"

"I can't say. They appear to be some form of energy. Perhaps the vehicle runs on alternative fuel?" Kitt proposed. Blueprints and data flashed across the dashboard screen that once displayed Micheal's Tetris game.

"So what's a high-tech vehicle like that doing in a place like this?" Micheal asked.

"You could say the same about me, Micheal. Would you like to go find out?"

Micheal wordlessly took control of the vehicle and drove out of the gas station parking lot. They followed the green vehicle as subtly as they could, with what little traffic there was. After a few turns, they ended up in front of the town's only school.

"Micheal, I'm getting similar readings from two other vehicles. One is a black and yellow muscle car, and the other is from a motorcycle, the same purple motorcycle we saw yesterday." Kitt reported as they pulled into a nearby alley.

"Huh, really? A whole slew of 'em. If the bike is here, then where did that lady in leather go?"

"I don't detect anyone matching that description. However, the teenager we met from the burger drive-through is getting on the bike."

"So they share the bike. Hmm." Micheal scratched his chin. "Is anyone getting in the green off-roader or the muscle car?"

"Yes. Each car is picking up one teenager each."

"Hmm. Alright, let's follow these guys for a little and see where they go." Micheal shifted into drive.

"Micheal, they're teenagers." Kitt reminded him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they can't be in on something.

* * *

"Jack, I get the feeling we're being followed." Arcee said, tilting her mirror so that Jack could see behind them.

Jack saw that it was the same black trans am from the drive through yesterday. The car had been the subject of numerous conversations at school today. It had been snooping around all of the streets and loitering in parking lots. Jack had tried to input what he knew, but his guess as to why the car and its driver were in town was just as good as speculation.

"Yeah, I know that guy." Jack replied. "There's a human driver in that one. It's not a Decepticon, unless the Decepticons have suddenly changed their minds about human partners?"

Arcee laughed. Good, Jack was hoping to defuse her tension. It didn't do her well to be nervous all the time.

"That's an interesting car. What's the driver like?" Arcee asked.

"I don't know much, but he came through the drive through the other day. He was, like, weirdly enthusiastic about the burger he got. His car looked pretty cool though."

"Heh, don't get jealous." Arcee laughed.

"No way." Jack gripped her handlebars a bit tighter. "I'd prefer you any day. Though. . . he did offer to give me a ride."

"Let's not chance it," she gently reminded. "Let's get back to base."

* * *

Micheal had decided not to follow the strange cars and bike out of town.

"You, not investigating?" Kitt asked incredulously.

"Call it a hunch. I'd rather get to the meeting site early and scope it out."

"So you're saying we should have investigated our informant instead?"

"Shut up."

And soon they drove the other way out of town. The meeting site would be roughly thirty miles off of Jasper, at an old warehouse. It looked rickety and rusty, prompting Kitt to do an immediate stability scan on the whole thing. The AI finally begrudged that it would be okay for Micheal to go inside. As far as other scans went, there were several other humans inside. Devon had mentioned that the informant might not be alone.

However, Kitt's ability to scan for other technology was limited as best. Kitt explained that it might be the constant sand flurries from the desert. No doubt the grating sand was messing up some of his more delicate systems.

When the sun went down, Micheal left Kitt and entered the warehouse. Inside, he was greeted with four men, each intimidatingly muscular.

"Greetings, Micheal Knight. We've awaited your arrival." Said the center man with a smooth voice. His hair was gray and shaved close to his scalp.

"Hi- you're Silas, right? I'm here from the Foundation of Law and Government. I was told you're our informant for this MECH organization." Micheal replied with an easy smile.

"Correct. We've had a terrible problem with them. We especially need your help. Come closer, I have a file right here with more specifics." The man, Silas, spoke again, this time pulling out a slim file from behind him.

Micheal looked around to the other men. They at first looked normal, but one kept wiping his palms against his pants. Sweaty palms. Another stretched and closed his fists. Micheal subtly activated Kitt's ability to listen through the wrist comm before walking a few more steps forwards.

"I've heard something about 'tech terrorists' that have been harassing the national guard around here for a while?" Micheal asked.

"Yes," Silas said, with something almost like a smile. "MECH preys on the weak. More specific details of their exploits are in this file."

In the dim light of the warehouse Micheal also noticed a small pile of old machinery. Or at least, what appeared to be old machinery. And the last remaining man, adjacent to Silas, was holding something behind his back.

"Are you opposed to a little chit-chat?" Micheal held out his hands. "That file looks small. Why don't we discuss what's in it?"

"I assure you, Micheal, all you need to know is in these papers." Silas's voice remained smooth as he beckoned.

"If so, why don't you step forward and give them to me?" He challenged.

Silas hesitated, eyeing each of his men, before stepping forward alone. He walked with the force of a military personal. He came very close to Micheal before holding out the file.

"Here," he said.

"Alright, that's more like it-"

As soon as Micheal grabbed the folder, Silas swung at his face. The blow connected, sending Micheal to the ground. Silas then tried to stomp on him, but he rolled out of the way.

Micheal held up his wrist comm and screamed. "Kitt!"

Immediately, Kitt came bursting in through the flimsy door of the warehouse. However, before the AI could reach Micheal, Silas pulled a pistol from his pocket and held it to Micheal's head. Kitt slammed on the breaks.

"Not so fast there, you." Silas wagged his other finger to Kitt. "I know you won't let your human partner come to harm. So surrender yourself over, or watch him die."

Micheal wanted to scream. A setup! The entire thing had been a setup! All to get Kitt! He should have known, dammit!

"I think you underestimate my capabilities." Kitt tried to intimidate, but his voice fell flat and he knew it.

"No, no, Kitt, is it? You're coming with us." Silas pressed the cold barrel of the gun against Micheal's scalp.

No. Micheal couldn't let Kitt get captured. Letting Kitt get taken by these guys could mean that the AI would be lost forever, and some seriously bad guys would get all of the Knight Industries tech. And besides, if these guys were gunning for Kitt and using Micheal as a ransom, then perhaps they'd be hesitant to actually pull the trigger.

"Kitt, listen to me," he started.

"Yes, yes, Kitt, listen to your human." Silas sneered.

"I need you to. . ." Micheal grit his teeth. "Go! Go now! Leave me, Kitt! GO!"

The black Trans Am stayed worryingly still for moment, before tires whirled, and Kitt was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Kitt drove. He did not know where. He didn't even bother to register if he was on an actual road or not. All he knew was that he needed to follow Micheal's orders and get away as fast as possible.

It took him far too long to realize the magnitude of what he had just done. He nearly slammed on the breaks and turned around when he did. He had left Micheal held at gunpoint. He had left Micheal in danger!

It took him mere milliseconds to access Micheal's vitals through the signal of the wrist communicator. Kitt nearly broke down in relief when he saw that Micheal's vitals were agitated but stable. He immediately set up subroutines to constantly monitor the frequency. Were there to be any dips in Micheal's vitals, Kitt swore that he would turn around that very instant, Micheal's orders be damned.

But until then. . . now what?

Kitt drove several more miles in mental silence, simply focusing on finding the road back to town. Once he was on it, he allowed himself to think a bit more.

What would Micheal do? That was the first real point of clarity in Kitt's processor. If this whole scenario were the other way around, how would Micheal handle this situation?

First, Micheal would reach out to someone in the town. Okay, that was a start. He always seemed to be able to identify a victim of the crime they were trying to stop (usually this victim was a young woman, but that was not important right now). Micheal would lay low and only reach out to those he felt could trust.

Well, there was the problem right there. Kitt had never understood how Micheal could make such perfect guesses using nothing but 'a hunch', as he had called it. Kitt wasn't human, and as such didn't have that unique talent. He couldn't 'feel' anything, let alone make such intuitive judgments.

Even worse, if MECH was active in the town of Jasper, then they would spot him instantly. They'd probably expect him to go there, and expect him to call Devon and the Foundation for backup. It seemed MECH already knew plenty about Kitt's own capabilities, and he couldn't risk the chance that they might know his cell phone signal as well.

Kitt was jarred as he slid off the side of the road for a moment. He quickly self-corrected. He had delegated too much processing power to speculation and not enough to driving. An empty, hollow command in his processor told him to ask for Micheal to take over driving while he puzzled through the dilemma, but the driver's seat was empty. Micheal's warmth was not present.

Instead, Kitt spotted a small rock formation off the side of the road, and after a quick evaluation he determined it was tall enough to hide his frame from both passing and oncoming traffic. He steered into the gap then turned off his drive train.

Kitt sat in that spot for all the rest of the night and most of the next day to fully recharge his systems. At least, that's what he told himself he was doing. That reason sounded better to him than 'being paralyzed by indecision for a day and a half'.

And now, with Micheal's last orders to him being as ambiguous as they were, Kitt struggled with formulating any sort of plan. He simply didn't have enough data. He didn't know what Micheal wanted to happen. That thought troubled him the most, and it brought Kitt all the way back to square one, with endless speculation about possible successful and satisfactory rescue attempts.

In a moment of clarity (his first in a while), he at least determined that he needed to find outside help. He couldn't do this on his own. There were too many unknowns. He at least needed more information about MECH's whereabouts and their connection with the other self-driving cars. It would make the most sense to gather this information back at the source, at Jasper.

Finally, he had a plan.

* * *

_What defined a 'hunch' again?_

Kitt warily pulled into the drivethrough line for Knockout Burgers. He rolled down his driver's side window. Sure enough, a familiar voice lacking pep spoke over the speaker.

"Welcome to Knockout burgers, where every burger's a knockout. How can I help you?"

"Hello there." Kitt greeted, then paused for a beat. "I was hoping to talk with employee Jack Darby. It's about a personal matter. It is almost the end of his shift, so it shouldn't be a disruption to his work schedule."

"Uh, yeah, that's me." The voice said.

"Good. Please come over to the Black Trans Am when you are ready, please."

Kitt rolled away from the speaker and parked in a parking spot opposite from the drivethrough building, but near to its door. Sure enough, the black-haired teen from the other day came stumbling out from it, slipping a loose gray t-shirt over his work uniform. He paused and looked Kitt up and down before approaching.

"Um, hello? Micheal, right?" Jack waved to one of the mirrors, before noticing from the reflection that the driver's seat was empty. "Wait, where are you?"

"Greetings, Jack. Micheal isn't here right now. I was hoping you might have some information to help me find him." Kitt started. He had learned over the years that it was best to ease in humans to his presence gradually.

"Are you. . . in the car, then?" Jack took a few short steps closed, but still kept a fair distance.

Ah, yes, the inevitable question. "Technically, yes. I am housed inside of this car. I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand, K.I.T.T. for short, but for convenience you may call me Kitt."

The teen looked less surprised, which would be a normal reaction, and more confused. He took several large steps back. He glanced around to the rest of the parking lot.

"Please do not be alarmed. I am contacting you because my driver, Micheal, is in danger." Kitt continued, trying his best to make his tone warmer.

"Are you an Autobot or Decepticon?" Jack asked.

A what? Kitt paused, scanning his databases for word entries such as 'autobot' or 'decepticon', but he found none. Nothing from the dictionary, and nothing from the mission files.

"I'm not familiar with either of those phrases you have used. However, are they in some way related to an organization known as MECH?"

As soon as Kitt modulated the last few syllables, Jack's face went almost completely white. "How do you know about them?"

"Are you affiliated or otherwise associated with MECH?" Kitt asked. If the teen said yes, then he could have just gotten in a lot more trouble.

Jack looked around the parking lot again, this time with much more obvious panic. He checked his watch. "No, no, I'm not- I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Look, uh, I have to go."

At that moment Kitt detected the purple motorcycle pulling into the parking lot. Jack enthusiastically waved it over. As the motorcycle approached, the woman in leather riding it disappeared from visual scanners. A hologram. The motorcycle was driving itself, that was, before Jack swung his leg over it.

"Wait, Jack!" Kitt desperately called after him. "I need your help. Micheal has been kidnapped-"

"Who are you?!" spat a feminine voice from no obvious source.

"I am Kitt," no time for long introductions now, "and I am looking for information on the terrorist organization MECH. Do you know anything?"

Jack looked down to the center console of the motorcycle, then back at Kitt.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" The feminine voice spoke again. Kitt finally realized its source was the motorcycle itself. The delight and curiosity of meeting another being like himself was quickly stifled by the strange question again.

"Those words have no meaning to me. Would you care to define them?" Kitt returned. "And I promise that I mean neither you nor Jack any harm."

The motorcycle flicked a mirror towards him with obvious condescension and incredulousness. "You _are_ Cybertronian, right?"

"What's a Cybertronian?"

There was an entire pause. Jack looked wide-eyed in shock, and the motorcycle tilted its (her?) handlebars towards him.

"So. . . you're not?" Jack eventually broke the silence.

"No. As I have already explained to you, I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand. I don't know of this 'Cybertronian' you speak of." Kitt replied as he searched his databases again for the word again.

"Then _what_ are you?" The feminine voice accused.

"I have already answered that question, Miss." Kitt's patience was growing thin. "So answer mine: what do you know of MECH and how are you connected?"

"How do you know of MECH in the first place?" The motorcycle asked.

"I don't have time for this! My driver, Micheal Knight, has been kidnapped and is quite possibly in immense danger!" Kitt snapped. He rumbled his engine slightly with agitation.

"So. . . you're their enemy." The motorcycle's voice softened just a bit.

"Yes, and if you are enemies with the organization as well, we can work together." Kitt hated how much he sounded like he was begging. "Micheal and I were sent by the Foundation for Law and Government to expose and dismantle MECH. If you help me, the Foundation can provide other benefits to you as well."

Jack looked down at the motorcycle, and (Kitt was reasonably sure) the motorcycle looked back up to him.

"Well," Jack said, "it's not like we haven't exposed our secret already."

"You're right." The motorcycle agreed with a sigh.

"What secret? I don't need to know any of your secrets. All I need is your assistance." Kitt pleaded.

Jack glanced over once before putting on a silver helmet. He flipped the kickstand up.

"Follow us." The motorcycle said. "And try to keep up."

The last statement made Kitt want to spin his tires out and shoot ahead of her, showing off his full capabilities to which she seemed entirely unaware, but of course, he didn't. He had finally gotten this far and he recognized that he couldn't lose that progress now, even in defense of his pride. He had to play nice, as they say.

The purple motorcycle and her human rider burst through the Nevada desert on a series of back roads that Kitt had driven with Micheal the other day. Kitt could pick up a faint radio signal coming from the bike, but it was heavily shielded, and it would take far too much effort to decode it. Not that he had any trouble keeping up- that wasn't even a slight problem.

However, they reached a t-intersection in the road. Directly ahead of them was a large rock monument, one of the many that dotted the landscape. However, Jack and the motorcycle didn't seem to slow down for the turn.

They were reaching the end of this stretch of road, fast. Jack didn't seem the slightest bit nervous. At this rate, the window to avoid running off the road, or worse, hitting the rock monument, was rapidly closing. Kitt grew nervous. He could survive such a collision, but Jack certainly wouldn't. He desperately tried to trace the motorcycle's radio signal to contact her, but he was unable. The system was completely foreign.

However, his scanners detected something else entirely as they zoomed closer- there was a complex series of wires and gears, and the rock wall wasn't even a rock wall at all. Slowly, too slowly for Kitt's comfort, the side of the sheer rock face opened to reveal a passage further inside. Just as it opened fully, the motorcycle shot in. Kitt followed, slower.

And he absolutely could not believe what his scanners saw.


	4. Chapter 4

"Arcee to base. We're bringing someone in."

Ratchet reached to respond to the comm call as he usually did, as it took him a few moments before he had fully processed the last part of her statement. "You're WHAT?"

"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but this. . . person claims that his friend has been kidnapped by MECH. Jack and I made assumptions, and now he knows too much." Arcee replied.

"He's also, um, a little strange." Jack added. "Like, really strange. I mean it."

"Jack, Arcee, Ratchet." Optimus Prime walked over alongside Ratchet to face the screen. "If this person is in need of assistance against MECH, then it is our duty to help."

"I know, Optimus." Arcee said before ending the call.

Ratchet huffed. "Another human. Great. Like we needed more of them to worry about."

"Old friend, sometimes we cannot control our circumstances. However, we can control how we respond. We as Autobots choose to respond with kindness and compassion." Optimus lightly grabbed his shoulder.

"I know, I know." Ratchet nodded, before sliding out of his leader's grasp.

Ratchet did a habitual check over the base. Bumblebee and Raf were out of base on a drive. Bulkhead and Miko were further down one of the hallways, likely making music or something. The groundbridge levers were secure. The medbay was clean. Alright, he could handle whatever was going to be thrown at him today.

He dreaded the sound of the external base doors opening. What surprised him more was the sound of two engines- one was unmistakably that of Arcee, but the other one was utterly foreign. It sounded almost like a seeker's jet, which was quite disturbing to hear in tandem with the two-wheeler, considering her history.

Arcee entered the main area of the base first. She stopped close to the stairs up to the human balcony, and Jack got off of her and took his helmet off. The car that came in next was unlike any other Ratchet had ever seen. It was pitch black and smooth- it could almost have been described as swooping in build. Its surface seemed unnaturally shiny, reflecting the ceiling lights as it passed. However, by far the most interesting and concerning thing was the red scanner bar that was built into the car's hood. It was currently going crazy with activity, the light skittering side to side in a rapid motion.

"Arcee, what is _that_?" Ratchet gestured.

* * *

These beings, these massive mechanical beings giving off signals that Kitt couldn't possibly hope to decipher, all stared at him with mechanical eyes. One of them with a white and red paint job extended a limb towards him, and Kitt couldn't help but reverse away in response.

However, he regretted doing so when and even bigger one of the beings, the biggest he could see, took a step closer to him. This one, red with hints of blue, came down onto its knees. Even with the change of height the creature(?) towered over him. Kitt had never felt so utterly small before.

"That's our person, but as far as what he is, I have no idea." The voice Kitt recognized as the motorcycle spoke. He looked over to see that she was a motorcycle no more, instead becoming another one of the giant robots as well. He made the connection instantly.

"I don't know what he is either. I didn't think Earth had this level of tech. I mean it." That was Jack's voice. He was currently standing next to his motorcycle-robot companion. "Otherwise I would have told you guys."

The massive red-and-blue robot that was kneeling on the floor made a silencing gesture. Then it spoke with a voice that seemed to echo throughout the massive chamber. "Greetings, friend. I am Optimus Prime."

Optimus Prime. That seemed a fitting name to a being with such a scale. The way this 'Prime' spoke was almost similar to the way that Wilton Knight had sounded. A gentle tone that naturally commanded respect. It helped to ease some of the danger warnings flying through Kitt's systems.

"Do not be afraid." He continued. "What is your name?"

Kitt increased his vocal volume with all that he could muster. "I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand."

The red-and-white robot had a look of blatant surprise on his face.

"I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand." Kitt repeated, this time firmer. "K.I.T.T. for short. 'Kitt' for easy reference."

"Hello, Kitt." Optimus Prime nodded. "Welcome to Outpost Omega, our outpost on Earth."

"Outpost? On Earth? I beg your pardon, but are you trying to imply. . ." Kitt objected, before realizing that the question might be taken as rude.

Thankfully, Optimus's facial features stayed gentle. "Yes. This is the base of the Autobots, short for Autonomous Robotic Organisms. We have come to Earth from the planet of Cybertron."

Cybertron. Cybertronian. That must have been what Jack and the motorcycle were trying to ask. Kitt marked that down to the databanks.

"These other Autobots around me are my team. Together, we protect Earth from those that try and harm its people." Optimus continued and gestured around to the other two beings like him in the room.

"You know me. I'm Arcee." The ex-motorcycle raised her hand.

"I'm Ratchet." The red-and-white Cybertronian said, not warmly.

"There are two other members of my team that you shall meet in time. However, I believe that you-"

"Woah! Is there someone NEW?!"

A peppy voice that Kitt could clearly identify as belonging to a pubescent human girl came from behind him, along with the sound of running footsteps.

"Miko, wait, give him some space!" Said a deeper voice even further behind. Kitt began to hear much much bigger footfalls, and he could feel the vibrations they caused through his tires. It was disconcerting enough to make him turn around.

Sure enough, he was faced with a human girl with dyed pink hair. "Woah, sick alt mode, dude! What's your name? I bet you're really fast! How fast can you go? What's your zero-to-sixty?"

Behind the teenager was another Cybertronian, a rather big one at that. Kitt recognized the green paint color matching that of the off-road vehicle he and Micheal had tracked the other day.

The girl had reached him and was putting her hands all over his surface. "Wow, you sure are shiny! What's your secret?"

"Well, my secret would be my molecular-bonded shell." Kitt replied. "It makes me impervious to almost all forms of damage."

"That's so cool!" She squealed. "Ooh, can you transform? I wanna see your robot mode!"

Before Kitt had to answer, Jack yelled from the balcony. "Miko, he can't transform-"

"Oh, did you loose your T-cog?"

T-what?

"No, Miko, he's not even Cybertronian!" Jack said.

The massive green Cybertronian that was trailing behind Miko stopped in his tracks. "Wait, he's not?"

Kitt reversed slightly away. "No, I am not. I am state-of-the-art, top secret, strictly terrestrial technology. Now that what I am has been addressed, can we please move on to the subject at hand? My driver is currently in danger and I was told I could receive help here."

Optimus Prime stood up from his kneeling position. "Bulkhead, Miko, please back away from our guest. Kitt, you may explain your situation."

The green Cybertronian took a few steps back, and the curious girl ran up the stairs to the balcony, and stood next to Jack. Kitt relaxed his scanner for the first time since he had arrived, and took a moment to briefly sort through what he could of his databanks. All the new, unprocessed information seemed to bog down his entire logic process. He knew that his next recharge would be quite the restless one, sorting everything out.

It took him far too long to gather what he wanted to say, but eventually he found the proper words to convey the situation he had found himself in. Micheal, kidnapped. MECH, the shadowy, unknown terrorist organization responsible. And himself, the key to their motive.

The first thing any of the Autobots said after Kitt's summary was uttered by Ratchet. "That's funny. I thought MECH only went after Cybertronian technology."

That would explain MECH's involvement in Jasper. They must be after the Autobots themselves. Kitt marked this down for future reference.

"Yeah, but from the looks of it, Kitt isn't an ordinary car." Jack said.

"Indeed, I am not." Kitt concurred. "I am far more advanced than any other car on this planet. There are many shadowy organizations that have tried to get their hands on me at one point or another."

"I mean, yeah, duh! Who doesn't want a talking car?" Miko shouted. She then looked over to Bulkhead. "Don't worry Bulk, you're still my favorite."

"That still doesn't provide an answer as to how they knew to go after Micheal." Kitt mused. "If their focus is on your technology, then how did they know about my protocol to protect Micheal above all else?"

Several looks of thought floated around the room before Arcee spoke. "Maybe they didn't."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Maybe they thought you were one of us." Arcee went on, her tone gaining an icy edge. "We have our human partners. We don't let them come to harm. MECH probably thought that you wouldn't leave your partner behind."

Kitt felt a flash of something hot through his processor. "Are you accusing me of not protecting Micheal?"

Arcee simply looked at him, and he rumbled his engine in response.

"Arcee." Optimus said. "That's enough. There were other circumstances to consider at the time. It is always difficult to make decisions in times of stress."

"I do not get 'stressed', Optimus. That is a human trait." Kitt retorted. "I use my logic processor to come to the best possible decision. But in this case, my driver gave me the direct order to leave him."

"A 'direct order'? Is this Micheal your leader?" Ratchet raised a mechanical eyebrow.

"I am programmed to follow all of Micheal's orders." Kitt simply answered.

The resulting stares from the Cybertronians made Kitt wonder if he had suddenly turned bright pink. That was a figurative saying, of course, but and accurate descriptor of what was going on at this moment. The disbelief from all the others (even Optimus Prime) palpable.

"Is this a strange thing to you?" Kitt asked to all. "I was built and programmed to protect and serve Micheal Knight."

That was something he said with pride and not even the slightest hint of regret.

Jack was the first to break the uncomfortable pause among the Autobots. "I guess you're like any other Earth computer, then."

"I am far more advanced than most other computers, but I share significant similarities." Kitt replied.

Jack's previous tone made admitting that fact seem. . . demeaning. Kitt was used to being the absolute top-of-the-line, but now he was being seen as inferior to whatever technology the Autobots ran on. A surface scan revealed that the Autobots were mechanical and ran off of mechanical parts, like him, but a deeper scan revealed that their processors were indeed much more complex- no, perhaps they were just harder to decipher. No point in trying to do so now. Kitt refocused. Micheal still needed his help.

"Where is MECH's base of operations?" Kitt asked. "And how can we infiltrate it?"

Optimus Prime nodded. "Ratchet, pull up the possible locations on screen."

Ratchet turned to the computer and began typing in either a language or a font he could not read. However, he could read the map that popped up on screen. He recognized Jasper and the backroads that surrounded it. Several markers sprung from the map.

"Well, we know that they can't be far from here, due to their lack of a groundbridge." Ratchet said. "But we also haven't pinpointed their exact location."

Optimus Prime spoke. "They have likely taken your human companion back to their central base. It is important that we find their base immediately."

"Wait." Jack looked at Kitt. "If MECH's holding your friend hostage in order to capture you, then wouldn't they give us their location if you just. . . asked?"

Ratchet shook his head and laughed. "There's no way. They aren't just going to roll over and let us just come in!"

"But they don't know that I have come to you at all." Kitt interrupted. "They don't know that I will have your help."

"Yes, but given the fact that we'll be calling _from_ _the Autobot base_, then I think they'll know." Ratchet crossed his arms.

"Incorrect. I have my own way of contacting Micheal. No doubt MECH is monitoring it right now. If I call, alone, then they will give me directions to turn myself over to them." Kitt replied.

"And then, when Kitt goes in, we come in as the cleanup!" Bulkhead, who had been silent most of the conversation, burst in. "That's a wrecker technique as old as the wreckers themselves. You make them think that you're surrendering yourself over, then everyone comes in and you hit them twice as hard."

"Yeah, Bulk!" Miko jumped up in the air and cheered. "Then we wreck 'em!"

Ratchet and Arcee looked as if they wanted to rebuttal, but they couldn't come up with a reply. Kitt ran the plan through his logic processors and found no major flaws. It would mean trusting on the fighting force of several people he didn't know the capabilities of, but based on what he had observed so far, the Autobots would provide more than enough fighting power to overwhelm any potential defenses.

"Alright, Autobots." Optimus Prime said. "We shall go with the straightforward approach."


	5. Chapter 5

Kitt drove down the back roads of the sandy Nevada desert. The sun had set, and the night's chill had just began to temper off the absorbed heat of the asphalt. He had every scanner primed and ready; diagnostics double-checked his every function; his new radio connection with the Autobots had been tested extensively before he had left the base.

The night was clear and the stars were visible. Kitt remarked that Micheal would have liked this sort of weather. But odds were that his human partner couldn't see the stars right now. Kitt double-checked Micheal's vitals. They were weaker than normal, which was unsettling, but considering the situation that his driver was in at the moment they were practically optimistic. Hopefully (and Kitt hated that he had to hope), Micheal would still be strong enough to stand.

It was a silent drive, with only the occasional gust of wind to interrupt the sound of Kitt's tires on the road. It was a welcome contrast to Silas's venomous voice and Micheal's desperate pleading. Kitt had called through Micheal's communicator to begin the ruse, offering to turn himself in, in exchange for Micheal's release. Silas sounded like a cat that had caught the canary, as they say, and Micheal, well. . .

It was very difficult to hear Micheal sound like that. Kitt hoped he'd never have to hear him like that again.

A large hillside loomed ahead of him. A large, unidentifiable tube stuck out from the mountain. Like the Autobots, MECH must have had an underground base. The coordinates MECH had given him were right ahead.

"Kitt to Optimus Prime. I'm approaching the coordinates now. I'm beginning to pick up Micheal's signal in the base. Sending the location through to you now."

The gates around the tube opened with hidden machinery. Kitt could detect the infrared outline of several men in the tube. They held some sort of weapon- perhaps an EMP-based weapon or some other disabling device. As long as it wasn't acid, Kitt mused, then there was no risk.

Kitt slowed as he came closer. It was important to maintain the illusion. He drifted past an abandoned chain-link fence and into the complex. The tube was just ahead. He could pick up the men on visual scanners now.

"I surrender." Kitt called out to the men. "Where is Micheal Knight?"

None of the men said anything. Kitt glided to a stop in the center of the tube. The tube floor felt dry and smooth. Perfect.

The men came over from the sides. They aimed their devices at Kitt but did not fire. One of the men pulled out a radio, and Kitt intercepted the transmission with little effort. "Subject has been surrounded."

"Where is Micheal?" Kitt asked.

It was a vain question, of course. Micheal was 30 feet ahead, tied to a chair on the other side of several inches of concrete. Kitt could also detect another man in the room. It had to be Silas. That made things a bit more complicated.

"Subject inquires." The radioman reported.

"Tell him that Micheal is on his way." Silas replied.

Sure enough, the radioman spoke much louder. "Your human is on his way."

Kitt could detect that Micheal was not in fact moving. Silas, however, had a regular pacing pattern, and now Kitt could finally detect that the man did indeed have a firearm.

"I'm not surrendering my systems until I know where he is." Kitt continued the ruse. It took a mere moment to calculate the new trajectory.

Silas paced back and forth. Side to side. He came further and further away from Micheal every turn. Kitt waited. The men got closer. Kitt waited.

In an instant, Kitt spun his tires at full speed against the concrete floor, holding himself in place with his emergency break until he built up enough power. He jammed the radio signals of MECH and opened up a comm line of his own to the Autobots. "NOW!"

Kitt released the break and shot forward. He burst through the concrete wall. Debris rained down into the room beside him. Sure enough, Silas had been on the opposite side of the room due to his pacing. Micheal sat in the corner, tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth.

"Micheal, Micheal! Come on!" Kitt opened his driver's seat door. "We have to go, now!"

Micheal shuffled with his bonds. Kitt could see that they were almost loosened. However, meanwhile, Silas had recovered from the shock and the debris, and was now standing back to full height. Kitt tried to knock him over again with his passenger door, but the man quickly sidestepped it. He pulled his pistol from his side pocket.

"Not so fast." Silas uttered with the same cruel mockery as before. "Was that your attempt at a rescue mission? You're pathetic."

Micheal wasn't free of his bonds yet. He was currently trying to scoot the chair he was on closer against Kitt's frame, but Silas pointed the gun at him, causing him to freeze.

"You're quite pathetic for a Cybertronian, Kitt." Silas sneered.

"That's quite true," Kitt replied, silently activating a distress ping. "That might be because I'm not one."

There was only a second of surprise on Silas's face before a massive arm, belonging to Optimus Prime, came in through the hole Kitt had blasted. The arm grabbed Micheal and pulled him from the room. Silas attempted to shoot a few shots, but the bullets reflected harmlessly. Kitt spun his tires rapidly again, this time in reverse, creating a thick smoke that left Silas coughing, before he reversed out of the room.

The scene outside was absolute chaos as far as Kitt was concerned. The swirling green portal the Autobots had came through just closed, and from there the team members had scattered. Each dealt with and distracted a small group of the human soldiers. Arcee was having the least trouble, dancing around the electrical shots from their guns with ease. Bulkhead was simply absorbing the shots against his armor. Bumblebee, the member of the team Kitt had only briefly met before the mission, was in car form, drifting around the human soldiers so they could not hit him.

Optimus Prime was cradling Micheal against his chest, before transforming into a semi truck. Kitt scanned and saw that Micheal was safely in the leader's passenger seat.

"Autobots, back to base!" Optimus commanded over comm.

On that one order, the entire team seemed to disengage instantly. Those that weren't already in their vehicle modes transformed and made for the open desert. They drove in practiced formation, lining up three across on the narrow road behind Kitt and Optimus. Kitt found for the first time that they had no trouble keeping up with him. An incredible feat, to say the least. Kitt wished he could drive all the way home with them like this, but in that moment he was struck with an idea. There was something he still needed to do.

"Ratchet, prepare the groundbridge. Micheal has been retrieved. We are returning to base." Optimus ordered.

"Wait, you get Micheal to safety, but I'll take the long way." Kitt proposed.

"Why?!" Arcee shouted over the desert wind.

"I have an idea. It was Micheal and I's mission to take down MECH." Kitt replied.

The swirling green portal opened in front of them. Before any of the Autobots could protest, Kitt swerved around the dimensional opening. He could hear the portal close behind him and the sound of the Autobot's engines vanish. He could also hear, however, the sound of numerous attack vehicles and aircraft starting. MECH was no small organization, after all.

Kitt quickly dialed the emergency number for the county sheriff and the Nevada national guard. The line had far too much hesitation compared to the crispness of the Autobot transmissions.

"This is the emergency code for the lieutenant general." The operator spoke. "How did you get this number?"

"This is an agent for the Foundation of Law and Government, an agent of Devon Miles. The terrorist organization MECH has launched a full attack against my vehicle. I detect four helicopter units and four humvees. Please dispatch full armored backup to this location." Kitt spoke evenly, then sent his coordinates.

The operator paused. "Dispatching all close units. ETA in ten minutes.

Ten minutes. Kitt was amazed it was even that fast. ("It's the little miracles", Micheal might say if he were present).

The sound of helicopters came closer and closer. As fast as he was, Kitt was no match for a military-grade airborne vehicle. Kitt did a brief scan and found that the helicopters were carrying infantry armed with RPGs.

The scan was soon proven correct as a missile whizzed to his right. Kitt swerved and barely avoided the fiery explosion, the heat tickling the underside of his carriage. The next rocket came to his left and exploded a pile of rocks.

Kitt deployed his flares and then steered off the road. The rough terrain of the desert pounded against his tires. Thankfully, though, the helicopters continued down along the road, following the flares, but he knew that the ruse wouldn't last long. Not only that, but the the MECH ground vehicles began to catch up as well. These ones were armed with- Kitt could only do an oh-so-brief scan -some sort of electrical disabling device that didn't look to be standard being held by personnel units aiming from the roof. The scan wasn't complete enough to verify if it was a shock he could withstand. He couldn't afford to find out.

The humvees turned off the road and followed Kitt's trail. Kitt darted around the many rocks and cacti. The humvees smashed through the terrain with little care, sending pebbles and spines everywhere. One humvee spun out after getting struck with the debris.

The helicopters had now realized their mistake and turned around, the sound of their blades getting closer. Kitt drifted a sharp angle and shot the other direction, back towards the road. If he could keep the helicopters turning he might have a chance.

Another RPG landed not far behind him. Kitt used the force of the explosion, along with his turbo boosters, to fully jump over the road. The calculation had been almost automatic. He landed roughly on the other side, feeling his suspension fully compress.

His components were getting hot. His tires were already practically burning from his previous spinouts against the concrete, but now as he struggled to gain traction on the desert sand the temperature had skyrocketed. His tires were top of the line, but all rubber melted eventually.

The humvees were less graceful when crossing the road, forcing them to slow down temporarily. The helicopters turned faster than he had anticipated, though. In the midst of his calculations about his tires Kitt barely registered the white streak of an RPG coming directly towards him.

Well, at least Micheal wasn't here.

The explosion made all of Kitt's visual sensors go white. His momentum was suddenly thrust backwards. Damage warnings demanded his attention up and down within his CPU, but he had no time to acknowledge them. Switching to infrared vision, Kitt spun up his wheels again and kept going, but not before feeling a faint shock on his bumper.  
It was apparent that the humvees had gotten close enough for the personnel to use their stun weapons. However, the energy, a completely foreign energy to anything that was in Kitt's systems, quickly dissipated against his finish. Hmm. That would have been nice to know earlier.

Kitt hit the breaks and fell directly into the line of humvees. They began firing blue swaths of the strange energy at him, but each charge bounced off his molecular-bonded shell like the previous. The helicopters weren't firing either. Kitt took this moment to scan their radio frequencies.

"What the hell? Why aren't the energon shockers working?!"

"Keep firing! Every Cybertronian has a vulnerable spot somewhere!"

Kitt could have laughed if he was able to. A classic mistaken identity. However, his celebration was short-lived when he heard a familiar voice on the frequency.

"It's not Cybertronian. All aerial units, blow that damn car to smithereens." Hissed Silas.

"But, sir, our humvees-"

"DO IT!"

Upon hearing that, Kitt gunned the gas and shot out of the pack. Two explosions blasted behind, and Kitt could feel two distinct thuds as the humvees flipped. He turned sharply and headed back towards the road.

It was more difficult to get back onto the asphalt without the usual visual sensors, for the infrared lacked depth, but Kitt managed to find a spot where the ditch wasn't as deep. Back on the road, he checked the time. Any minute now for the National guard. He hoped that the operator wasn't lying.

He pressed fully on the accelerator, engaging turbo boost not to jump but to simply _move_. He surged forwards as he began diverting power from all extraneous systems to obtain as much speed as possible. The sudden jump misaligned several of the RPG shots. His tires burned. His RPM was far higher than what could be safely sustained. It didn't matter. He just needed to outrun them.

Suddenly his radar systems spiked. Military trucks, not the MECH humvees, were rapidly closing. Or, more accurately, Kitt was rapidly closing on them. With what little scanning power he had left he detected anti-aircraft measures and basic roadblocks.

In a time period that felt less than a human blink, Kitt came upon their defenses, and without even processing he calibrated the turbo boost to sail over them.

He made it. He made it. The sound of the anti-aircraft measures firing away and the sound of the remaining humvee colliding into concrete faded into the background as Kitt brought up the directions back to the Autobot base. The directions back to Micheal.

Mission accomplished.


	6. Chapter 6

Micheal awoke on an old-smelling, springy something. He could still taste the horrible, dry taste of the duct tape that had been over his mouth for the past couple days, but on the bright side it seemed to be actually gone.

He stretched out, untangling his limbs from out beneath him. Nothing felt better than having a full range of motion again. He was free. Kitt, the shining star like always, had burst in through the wall, and. . .

Wait, what happened?

Where _was_ he?

Micheal opened his eyes not to see the Kitt's interior, or the interior of the semi, but one that was completely different from anything he had ever seen before. He jerked upright (which made his joints complain) and looked around.

He was in some sort of large, spacious interior. The place was huge. Micheal was sure that a small city block could fit in here with no trouble. Some sort of strange sigil was printed on the concrete floor, one that Micheal had never seen before.

Great. Was he in some sort of even more exclusive terrorist club now?

He was up on some sort of balcony. He had been laying on some old, dingy couch. Across from the couch was an equally old TV and some videogame-looking consoles. There were drink stains and crumbs on the floor. It looked like a bunch of kids lived here, or something.

Suddenly, there was a heavy pounding. It sounded like footfalls, almost, but so big the vibrations seemed to rattle his skull. It was coming from the big open space, so Micheal dove for cover behind the couch.

He peaked around as the footfalls passed by and he couldn't believe his eyes.

A giant, red. . . giant red-and-blue robot strode by. The thing had to be at least- no, Micheal wasn't even going to try and guess. He'd leave that for Kitt. Simply put, it was massive. He tried to curl up to be even smaller behind the couch. He reached to his wrist to find his trusty comm, a little scuffed but still functioning by the looks of it.

"Kitt. Kitt. You there, buddy?" Micheal whispered.

"Micheal, you're awake." Kitt greeted cheerfully.

"Well, we've got a situation here. I'm in a really strange place. The interior is huge. And there's giant robots strutting about." Micheal hesitated to add the last part. Would Kitt even believe him?

"You are safe, Micheal. The robots mean you no harm." Kitt replied. "They're called the Autobots, and they're quite accommodating.

"Wait, really, bud?" Micheal raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, really. They helped me rescue you from those terrorists. I couldn't have done it without them."

Kitt? Being modest? Okay, something was definitely not right here.

"I'm being absolutely serious, Micheal." Kitt seemed to guess Micheal's exact thoughts. "You should come say hello."

Micheal peered out over the couch. There wasn't just one giant robot. There were five, each one a different color, shape, and size. Micheal crept over to the edge of the ledge he was on and balanced himself against the railing. Sure enough, in the center of the group of robots, was Kitt. The black Trans Am looked fairly dinged up, though it was hard to judge the damage from here. Bonnie was going to be pissed.

"Oh, hey, you're awake."

Micheal nearly jumped when he heard the voice next to him. He looked over to see a familiar teenaged face.

"Hey, you're that burger boy! Jack Darby, right?" He pointed. "You're the one who made that delicious burger for me. So you're in on this whole 'robot' thing too?"

The black-haired teen rubbed the back of his neck. "The burger really wasn't that special."

"Yes it was. Don't deny it." Micheal replied.

"Never knew you had the talent, Jack." Said a feminine voice.

Micheal looked over to see a small (if small could be applied to these robots at all) purpleish robot looking towards them. He froze up, unsure of how to react. Wait a second. . . were those wheels on her legs?

"Are you. . . that motorcycle?" Micheal looked back and forth between her and Jack.

"Good guess. I'm Arcee." She nodded. "Welcome to the Autobot base. Kitt's been telling us about you."

Now all of the giant robots had turned and were staring at him. He simply stared back, taking in all their details. He started to identify two of the others- the large green one was the armored off-road car, and the black-and-yellow one was the muscle car.

"You. . . you all are the rumored 'self-driving cars' around Jasper, aren't you?" Micheal asked.

"Well, most of them, anyway." Kitt interjected

Micheal looked down to his partner. "Obviously, pal."

"Greetings, Micheal." Spoke the largest, red-and-blue robot. The sheer amount of authority in his voice convinced Micheal that this was the leader. "I am Optimus Prime. We welcome you to our base. We are the Autobots, which stands for Autonomous Robotic Organisms. . ."

One long series of exposition and introductions later, Micheal knew the gist of what was going on (hopefully there wouldn't be some sort of test- he didn't pay attention _that _closely.) Giant robots from another world that also happened to be able to transform into vehicles. Incredible.

"So you guys were fighting MECH too, huh?" Micheal asked.

"Indeed. MECH had been stealing our technology and using it for nefarious purposes for quite some time." Optimus Prime answered. "It is of great relief that they will no longer antagonize us."

"Oh? So they're already done for?" Micheal remarked. "A rescue and takedown, all in one go."

"It's no less than what we normally do on an approximately weekly basis, Micheal." Kitt said rather smugly. Oh, Kitt.

Micheal smiled as most of the Autobots gasped in awe. "That's right, pal. I'm kinda sad that I missed out on this one."

Suddenly, there came a sound that was an awful lot like that of an elevator. Micheal quickly located the noise to an elevator shaft on the far side of the balcony.

"It's Agent Fowler!" Bulkhead looked back and forth between Micheal and Kitt. "Oh, no."

"Great. He's not going to like that we've revealed ourselves to another human." Arcee added.

"Agent Fowler? Is he some kind of government agent?" Micheal asked.

Bumblebee nodded, and whirred something Micheal couldn't understand.

The elevator door opened, revealing an older man who looked intimidating but a little out of shape. However, what surprised Micheal more was that Devon stepped out beside him.

"Hello, Micheal!" Devon waved.

"Hi, Devon!" Micheal waved back. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, as soon as Kitt made the call, I knew that I needed to get back in touch with an old friend of mine. Meet Agent Fowler." Devon gestured back to who he entered with.

Micheal held out his hand, and Agent Fowler gave a hearty shake. He had a commanding grip. Micheal knew ex-military when he saw it.

"Nice to meet you, son. I've heard of your exploits. You and that little smart car of yours are quite famous around my department." Agent Follower said.

"Oh yeah? How are we famous?" Micheal asked.

"Half the time my department gets a report of a self-driving car, it's you. Do you know how much paperwork your boss and I have to fill out every time that happens?" Fowler gestured to Devon.

Devon was not paying attention, instead staring straight ahead to the Autobots. "They look significantly larger in real life, I must say."

They all walked to the edge of the balcony. Fowler grabbed the railing as Micheal leaned against it. Devon slowed as they approached, his eyebrows high.

"Yeah, they're impressive." Fowler said. "If a little reckless, irresponsible, and self-righteous. But that's what makes them so good."

"I would know something about that." Devon muttered.

"Hey!" Micheal said.

"So, how about it, Team Prime?" Fowler called out. "How does it feel to no longer have to worry about MECH?"

"It's about time," said Ratchet. The rest of the Autobots nodded in agreement.

"About time indeed, old friend." Optimus Prime said. "It is to our new companions that we should give our thanks."

"I appreciate your gratitude, but without your help, Micheal would still be captured." Kitt swooped his scanner one time.

"So I heard. Perhaps if Micheal had investigated our supposed informant like he was supposed to, none of this would have happened." Devon remarked.

"It would have saved us a lot of paperwork." Fowler agreed.

"But then MECH would still be around, wouldn't they?" Interjected Jack, who walked down the railing closer to the others. "If they had known someone was investigating them so heavily they would have gone back under the radar. Now they're gone for good."

"That's right." Micheal pointed then looked back to Devon. "And maybe if a certain someone had told Kitt and I about the local giant robots, we could have worked together beforehand."

That prompted laughter from all in the room.

"Perhaps, perhaps. I suppose what's done is done." Devon made a calming gesture, but he was still smiling.

Arcee looked to Micheal. "And now, thanks to you, we don't have to worry about MECH anymore. We can focus are efforts on the Decepticons again."

"Decepticons?" Kitt asked.

"No, no, no." Fowler interrupted, shaking his head. "You don't get to ask that. That's a whole other level of clearance that you're not qualified to have."

Arcee looked to Fowler, then down to Kitt. "That's probably for the best. Going up against the Decepticons- no offense, Kitt- but you'd be hopelessly outclassed."

"Don't say that. He and I like a challenge." Micheal smiled.

"Arcee's right." Ratchet wagged a finger from his computer console. "Kitt's already sustained considerate damage, and that was just from one human explosive. He would be no match for Cybertronian technology."

"He's probably right, Micheal. We're better off sticking to purely human adversaries." Kitt replied, begrudgingly.

"Speaking of damage, Devon: where's the semi?" Micheal asked.

"On its way. Agent Fowler offered to give me a lift in his personal helicopter so that I could get here sooner. Bonnie is still driving from the mansion." Devon replied.

There was a pause. Micheal drummed his hands on the railing. The Autobots seemed to shuffle out of the circle they had been standing in. Some disappeared deeper into the base. Ratchet and Optimus seemed to gather more around the computer. Arcee and Jack, however, remained in the open.

"So," Micheal clapped his hands together. "What's the plan?"

"Uh, the plan?" Jack asked. "What plan?"

"You know, until Kitt and I's ride gets here. You all got anything to do around here?" Micheal asked.

"Um, well. . ." Jack trailed off.

"Micheal, if I remember correctly, you promised to give Jack a ride?" Kitt commed up to them.

"I did! You want a ride, kid?"

Jack looked over to Arcee. Arcee hesitated, before giving a nod.

"Sure, let's go." He nodded as well.

"NOT WITHOUT US, YOU DON'T!"

Micheal watched as a teenage girl came running seemingly out of nowhere. She was dragging along behind her another kid who couldn't have been older than 12. The kid held his glasses on with his other hand.

"Hi! I'm Miko, this is Raf, and you're totally giving us a ride in that sweet car of yours." The girl gestured.

"Of course. My pleasure." Micheal smiled. "Come on, let's go."

Miko let go of Raf's hand, then nearly sprinted down the stairs. Micheal jogged to keep up. When they got to the ground floor, Kitt was waiting. His engine was already running, and he held both of his doors open.

"I call shotgun!" Miko shouted and raced to the passenger door.

"What?! Miko!" Jack called after her.

Micheal came to the driver's seat and slid in. Kitt's seats never felt so comfortable. Micheal gave an affectionate pat to the leather.

"Micheal, are you going to mediate the decision of who gets the front seat?" Kitt asked. For a moment, Micheal simply took in the beauty of Kitt's blinking center console.

"Nah. They can squabble." Micheal eventually replied. "How you doing, pal?"

"I am fine." Kitt said.

"Are you sure? Just how much can I show off to the kiddos?" Micheal said, quieter.

"Oh, don't hold back." Kitt's tone was humorous. "But you should be the one driving, let's just say. The majority of my visual scanners are damaged, along with other automated functions."

"Damn, Kitt. I'm sorry." Micheal shook his head. "This is all on me. I should've been more careful. I should've seen the trap coming."

"Incorrect. I didn't detect that the men had firearms. If I would have warned you you would have known it was a trap." Kitt replied.

"You can't be expected to know everything."

"Neither can you, Micheal."

Micheal looked at Kitt's voice modulator and sighed. "Oh, bud. What would I do without you?"

"Let's never find out." Kitt replied.

The lights of his dash quietly danced up and down, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. Micheal rubbed the steering wheel with his thumb.

The passenger door opened and the moment was gone. Kitt automatically folded the front seat to give access to the back. Raf crawled in first.

There was more bickering outside. "You are shorter!"

"Yeah, but I'm cooler!"

"No you're not!"

"LoOk aT mE, I'm JaCk DaRbY! I'm SO COOL."

"Shut up!"

Micheal cleared his throat and the bickering paused. Both Jack and Miko were glaring at each other.

"Miko, you weren't the one who made me the best burger of my life, so you go in back." Micheal declared.

"What? Really? Fiiiiiine." Miko grumbled before crawling into the back seat.

The seat folded up, and Jack sat down. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Micheal said, shifting into drive as he did so. "Alright, Kitt, let's go pal!"

Racing along abandoned roads in the middle of the desert, Micheal knew there was no place he'd rather be. He relished the feeling as the speedometer leapt up past a hundred. The kids, especially Miko, screamed in delight. Kitt was able to take turns far sharper than any other car could go, and instead of avoiding potholes, he was capable of leaping over them entirely. And even through all of that, Kitt stayed smooth and steady. It was a feeling Micheal could never get enough of.

After a half hour of thrills, Micheal pulled back into the Autobot base. He was pretty sure his ears were ringing from Miko's screeching, but that was all part of the fun.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" She cheered.

"Yeah, that was quite incredible." Jack added.

"T-that was really smooth. Wow." Raf nodded and smiled. (The kid looked like he was going to hurl for a little while there- it was good to see the color return to his face.)

Before Micheal could say anything, Kitt beat him to it. "Thank you. That was just a small demo of my overall capabilities."

Oh, Kitt. Micheal knew that this ego boost would keep the AI bragging for days.

"Hey, wait, what about your guys' Autobot partners?" Micheal asked. "Don't they drive you around like this sometimes? They look capable."

"I normally don't like going so fast." Replied Raf.

"Bulk's a tough guy, not a fast guy." Replied Miko.

"Uh. . ." Jack scratched the back of his head. "Arcee worries about me."

"Besides, Micheal, none of them are _me_." Kitt's voice modulator lights seemed to puff up in pride.

Micheal laughed. The kids took their time getting out, marveling and taking one last look at Kitt's complex dashboard. They scampered off to the stairs leading up to the balcony. Suddenly, thudding footsteps shook Kitt. Through the windshield, Micheal could see a pair of purple legs. They bent down and transformed into a familiar purple motorcycle.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be able to beat you, Kitt?" Challenged Arcee.

From the left rolled up Bumblebee, transformed as well into his black-and-yellow alt mode. He beeped something that vaguely sounded like a challenge as well.

"No offense to the both of you, but I am quite state of the art. You may have difficulty keeping up." Kitt replied.

The sound of shock from Arcee was audible. "Prove it."

Micheal laughed and shook his head. He looked to Kitt's voice modulator. "Pal, you're going to get me into so much trouble one day."

Kitt simply responded with a rumble of his engine.

"Okay, let's hit it!" Micheal slapped the steering wheel.

He slammed the drive shaft into reverse and barely looked behind before drifting around to face the exit to base again. Arcee and Bumblebee lined up beside them for only just a moment, before Micheal shifted to drive and let the throttle open. Tires squealed against concrete and Kitt shot forward, beating out the rest to the exit door.


	7. Epilogue

"No! Stop! Don't let them-!" Devon stopped and sighed as the three vehicles were already gone in a blink. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"Uncle Sam's beard, we don't need any more publicity." Agent Fowler sighed.

"They're always on the run, aren't they?" Devon said. "You can never keep track of what possible disaster they'll cause next."

"Uh huh. And then when all the coverup and paperwork falls to you, they don't even think about." Fowler threw his hand up in the air.

"Yes! They really don't ever consider it!" Devon threw his hands up as well. "All the paperwork isn't going to do itself."

"They really don't know how much we do for them."

"Indeed."

"Agent Fowler," a deep, respectful voice came over from the computer. Optimus Prime was looking over to them. "We Autobots deeply appreciate what you do for our cause."

A look of indignation swept across Fowler's face, but he bit back his anger. "It's alright, Prime. I suppose your team saves the day enough that's it's worth it in the end."

"Indeed again." Devon concurred. "There's no other line of business I'd rather work. The amount of good we are able to do is unparalleled by the likes of other law enforcement, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I just never thought that working with E.T. would be how I do it." Fowler made a sweeping gesture to the entirety of the base around them.

"It appears you got quite the strange lot of the bunch."

"What, and the world's most advanced AI being housed in a Pontiac Trans Am isn't weird to you?" Fowler raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose the novelty fades." Devon replied.

"I suppose you're right."

There was a pause before Devon spoke. "Soon enough, they become your friends."

"'Friends' is a strong word, but. . . you're right."

"Speaking of friends, I suppose we'll be staying in touch for a little?"

"Yes!" Fowler pointed. "You need to keep me updated on Kitt."

"Oh, do I now?" Devon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. During Kitt's escapade with MECH, he was hit by several charges of Energon. Those things stun Cybertronians, because that's the energy they run on." Fowler explained slowly.

"And as such, they had no effect on Kitt. I do read the mission reports, you know." Devon finished.

"That's not my point. My point is, we don't quite know the effects of Energon on ordinary Earth tech yet." Fowler went on. "One potential side effect is something my lab boys have been calling 'mechanization'."

"Oh?"

"It's something about Earth tech being 'cybernized'. Signs would be changes in Kitt's inner workings and the likes. Your mechanic should take a careful look at him."

"So if Kitt suddenly gains the ability to transform into a giant robot, I should presumably let you know?" Devon masked an amused snicker.

"Yes." Fowler nodded, before noticing the expression. "Hey, I'm being serious here!"

"Perhaps the upgrade could be beneficial for Kitt. What do you say?"

"No! Another Cybertronian running amok would be a nightmare. The paperwork alone-!"

"Yes, yes, of course. I would never wish more paperwork onto someone in our line of work." Devon patted Fowler's shoulder, which seemed to calm him down.

"At least someone else understands," Fowler said. "But seriously, keep an eye on Kitt."

"Of course. You have my word."

"To Kitt?" Agent Fowler held out his hand to shake.

"And to Team Prime." Devon took it.

The two shook heartily.


End file.
